Can anyone explain the difference between bass ducking and "real" side chaining? How does it sound different?

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Wat do you mean>? Sidechaining is just using one signal to control an effect that manipulates another signal. It totally depends what your doing with the sidechain. For instance sidechaining an audio signal to a compressor will turn the leval down relative to the sidechain input. Sidechaining it to a gate would turn the volume up.

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Both types are real. Your question/comparison is unclear. But I would say normal ducking is just applying enough compression to get some extra space for other elements where as the extreme ducking is extreme.

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If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

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Originally posted by Storyteller extreme ducking is EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEME!

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Originally posted by trancey_spacer Can anyone explain the difference between bass ducking and "real" side chaining? How does it sound different? Cheers.

let me clear a few things up...

sidechaining simply means using a signal to trigger something. every compressor has a sidechain, but most are internal sidechains only. this means you can only compress a signal based on the signal itself. bass ducking via a compressor is achieved by using a compressor which supports an external sidechain. you route your kick to the external sidechain input and your bass to the normal input of the compressor. instead of using the internal sidechain to trigger the compressor, it will use the kick.

i'm going to assume you're trying to ask the difference between the fl studio peak controller method and the normal compressor method. both are "real" sidechaining, by definiton. however the peak controller method is not sidechain compression; it is gain ducking. unlike a compressor, which reduces the dynamic of the input sound, gain ducking simply reduces the gain (volume). usually they sound pretty similar, however the gain ducking method is very sterile and doesn't really give as much "pressure". using a compressor to sidechain, you also impart the character of that compressor on the sound. a good compressor will also probably give you some controlls which arent achievable via the peak limiter.

i suggest you read this, it will give you some more info on how a compressor works:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression

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unlike a compressor, which reduces the dynamic of the input sound, gain ducking simply reduces the gain (volume).

All a compressor ducking does is turn the volume down as well. What exactly is 'reducing the dynamics?".

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When you sidechain a compressor you are activating a compressor based on a key input signal. A compressor doesn't reduce gain [below the threshold], it affects [sound/]peaks [above the threshold].

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Last edited by flutlicht junky on May-06-2008 at 15:04

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A compressor doesn't reduce gain, it affects peaks.

How exactly does it effect peaks in leval if it doesnt reduce gain?

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Yes, a compressor affects the peaks (by attenuating the signal when the peak gets up over the threshold). If you're using a sidechain input, then it doesn't matter what is happening on the channel being operated on - in this example, the bass - the whole bass sound will have it's gain reduced when the sidechain is operating, not just the peaks.

A compressor does just "simply reduce the gain" - that's all a compressor truly does. It reduces the gain when the signal is above the threshold. How it goes about reducing it (how quickly it turns the volume down, how much it turns it down, how quickly it turns it back up after the signal drops back below the threshold) depends on the compressor. Then, of course, you can set the output level/ makeup gain of the compressor to bring the peaks back up where you want them. You squash the peaks, then bring the level up.

To answer the original question - if by bass ducking you mean ducking the whole bass sound, then there is no audible difference between "real sidechain compression" and automating the channel's volume, if you've automated it with the same shape as the compressor settings you'd be using. Generally a compressor is quicker and easier for the purpose - if you want to tweak the settings, you can just tweak them, without drawing in the automation all over again.